GOMEL, 19 September (BelTA) – The extra trading session at the Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange that started on 14 September can be called a success, Gomel Oblast Governor Vladimir Dvornik told BelTA. He said that before the trading session started, the opposition had projected that the foreign currency will still not be available to all buyers and at exchange booths. “However, it turned out to be the opposite. In recent days residents of Gomel Oblast have been selling a great...

MINSK, 19 September (BelTA) – Belarus stops changing its clock to winter and summertime, BelTA learnt from the State Committee for Standardization of Belarus. The decision is laid down in Council of Ministers’ Resolution No. 1229 of 15 September 2011. Time calculation in Belarus will go in line with the international system of time zones (GMT +1 Standard Time) without switching clocks for winter and summertime. “The decision to cancel the switch of the clock one hour forward every...

GOMEL, 16 September (BelTA) – The opening of the 6th international choreographic festival Sozhski Karagod will take place at the Tsentralny Stadium in Gomel on 16 September. Partaking in the festival will be over 1,000 artists from 15 countries, BelTA learned from the Culture Department of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee. The opening of the festival will include performances of the National Ballet of Georgia “Sukhishvili-Ramishvili”, the National Dance Ensemble of Belarus, Vitebsk...

MINSK, 16 September (BelTA) – A one-time payment of Br500,000 will be provided to Belarusian state employees and non-working pensioners in September this year. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed relevant Decree No. 417 “On one-time material assistance” on 15 September, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service. The document envisages one-time payments for persons who were registered as state employees as of 1 September 2011 including public sector employees and...

GOMEL, 15 September (BelTA) – The 6th international choreographic festival Sozhski Karagod opens in Gomel on 15 September, BelTA learned from the Culture Department of Gomel City Hall. The forum will bring together over 1,000 people. The program of the festival includes performances of amateur folk dance companies, modern choreography, ballroom dancing and fire dance shows. Partaking in the forum will be classic dance companies, ballet theaters, winners of international choreographic...

GOMEL, 12 September – Gomel Radio Plant will start manufacturing irrigation machines in 2012 under a license from the US company Reinke, BelTA learned from Valery Popkov, Director General of the Gomel Oblast Association of Vegetable and Fruit Manufacturers. The sides have signed a cooperation agreement that provides for delivering a complete irrigation machine Reinke A100 that will be copied in multitudes. At least four irrigation machines will be assembled by the next summer. Initially...

MINSK, 9 September (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko wants to continue building up relations with the West. The President made this statement as he met with reporters on 9 September, BelTA has learnt. “We met the West halfway before and we will keep doing it. I do not want bad relations with the West. Why would we want this?” The head of state said. Alexander Lukashenko reminded reporters that Belarus’ trade with the EU is bigger than that with Russia. “Powerful...

MINSK, 6 September (BelTA) – More than 150 cultural projects have been implemented in Gomel as part of the Gomel – Belarus and CIS Capital of Culture 2011 project, BelTA learned from spokesperson of the Belarusian Culture Ministry Anna Smolskaya. Gomel became the Belarus and CIS Capital of Culture eight months ago. It hosted numerous events, such as the international contest Guitar Renaissance, the international festival Slavonic Theater Meetings, concerts of the Belarusian State Dance...

GOMEL, 2 September (BelTA) - An international full contact karate tournament, Gomel Kyokushin Cup, will take place in the Gomel Athletics Palace on 3-4 September, BelTA learned from director of the Gomel Center of Martial Arts Sergei Martyukhin. Partaking in the tournament will be about 50 athletes from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. They will compete in three weight categories (70kg, 80kg, 80+kg). Winners will be announced on 4 September. The organizers of the tournament are...

MINSK, 2 September (BelTA) – The Gomel Rumyantsev-Paskevich Palace will bring together stamp collectors from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Germany, BelTA learned from the Communications and Informatization Ministry of Belarus. The meeting of stamp collectors will take place from 15 September to 9 October with the framework of the national philatelic exhibition Belphila 2011. This is the 7th philatelic exhibition in Belarus. However, Gomel, the Capital of Culture of Belarus and...